CBS unveils the summer schedule

Dogs, million-dollar winners, the ’70s swing and SWAT fills CBS’ screens this summer.

CBS today unveiled its 2008 summer schedule with nearly 90 hours of original programming for the hotter television season. Look forward to three new reality series, summer stalwart “Big Brother“, two live mixed martial arts events, The Tony Awards and “AFI’s Top 10 Top 10.”

The Reality Series:

Extraordinary teams of dogs and owners across the nation will compete for the title of “Greatest American Dog,” premiering Thursday, July 10 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT). Owners and their pets – from “pageant dogs” to those simply trained at home – will live together and compete against each other in games that put the owners’ ability to train their dogs to the test. The winning team will walk away with a $250,000 cash prize.

Regis Philbin returns to prime time to host “Million Dollar Password,” a modern update of one of television’s greatest game shows, premiering Sunday, June 1 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT). This update takes the classic game and brings it to the 21st century with big celebrities, big money and big stakes. Contestants team up with some of the hottest stars, from Rosie O’Donnell, Betty White, Rachael Ray and Neil Patrick Harris to “High School Musical’s” Monique Coleman, to earn up to one million dollars. One player from the team is told secret passwords and can use only one-word clues to get the teammate to guess them.

“Jingles,” premiering Sunday, July 27 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) is a weekly competition which challenges contestants to write and perform a jingle about anything from products to sports teams each week. The products will be anything from a food or toy, to a health or beauty aid, or a team fight song, TV show theme or update to a classic jingle. To survive each competition, they will have to impress not only a panel of judges and a live audience, but also the American public, who will ultimately decide the winner.

“Big Brother,” a CBS summer stalwart, returns for its 10th edition on Sunday, July 13 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) with all new game twists and surprises. “Big Brother” will also be broadcast on Tuesday (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) beginning July 15 and Wednesday (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) beginning July 16 with the live eviction show hosted by Julie Chen. 

The Drama Series:

“Swingtown” is from the director of “Big Love” and “Rome,” premieres Thursday, June 5 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT). The series peeks into the shag-carpeted suburban homes of the culturally transformative ’70s to find couples reveling in the sexual and social revolution that introduced women’s liberation and challenged conventional wisdom. During this heady era of provocative change, Susan and Bruce Miller move their family to an affluent Chicago suburb where they’re confronted with personal choices, experimentation and shifting attitudes, all against the backdrop of a changing social climate defined by its unforgettable music, fashion and style.
“Flashpoint”, an emotional journey into the tough, risk-filled lives of a group of cops in the SRU (inspired by Toronto’s Emergency Task Force), premieres Friday, July 11 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT).  It’s a unit that rescues hostages, busts gangs, defuses bombs, climbs the sides of buildings and talks down suicidal teens. As they race against the clock to determine what brought these people to their respective breaking points, members of this highly skilled team use their training in negotiating, profiling and getting inside the suspect’s head to diffuse the situation to try to save lives. 

Old favorites, “Without a Trace,” “Cold Case,” and “Numb3rs” will continue to air reruns through the summer, though their timeslots will be changed.